Craig Oshima

Art

As a user interface designer, I focus on the interaction between people and computers. I do not call myself a graphic or visual designer. Still, I’m no stranger to graphic design, or to art in general. Like many kids, I started drawing at an early age.

Early ’80s

“Comics are a gateway drug to literacy.”
Art Spiegelman

As a kid, I mostly drew airplanes and dinosaurs. But by sixth grade, I’d drifted more into comics.

My first series was Ant Wars (sci-fi, now lost). In high school, it was The Adventures of Joe Gnoll.

Late ’80s

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he [or she] grows up.”
Pablo Picasso

It’s been said that eyes are windows to the soul. My attention shifted toward realism, starting with portraits. Faces in general aren’t that hard. Hands — on the other hand — are pretty challenging. It took some time to resist using the hands-in-pockets or behind-the-back tricks.

’90s and beyond

“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. [..] If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we’re partisans of liberty, then it’s our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
J.R.R. Tolkien

It was inevitable that my love for both drawing and fantasy would mix together.

That last sketch was partly a study of perspective, but also shows how I was getting better at drawing hands!

What else?

I have drawn other things (especially when I was considering a career in architecture or industrial design), but the above broadly reflects my artistic progression.

I’m mostly comfortable with pencils, but I’ve also dabbled with watercolors, inks, and paints.